Disclaimer-Pokemon is not mine

Things You Should Know Before We Continue:

1. Misty was actually 10 when they told her about her parent's deaths. That was a typo, a mistake on my part.

2. Mewtwo was built so that there is no clone degeneration.

3. 10 years is not that long for a war. England and France had a war going on for 116 years.

4. Brock is the same age as Ash and Misty. They are all 13.

5. Most animals are considered adults when they are 2 or 3. Not so with Pokemon. Pokemon and humans have the same life span and are considered equal with terms of age. (As in Pokemon are considered teenagers when they're 13, just the same as Humans) Thus, Current is 13, like Ash.

6. Electric Pokemon are not immune to the collars.

7. Misty already has Psyduck.

Among The Pikachus

Ash, Current, and Misty broke into a clearing, and the only female of the group stared. This place was overflowing with Pikachus! She'd never seen a wild herd of Pikachus before, and she never dreamed that there could be so many.

"Ash!"

All three of them turned to see as a woman came running up to them.

"Hi, Mom," Ash said.

"Thank goodness you're back! There's news that a battle will take place not too far from here…Who's this?"

"This is Misty. A runaway from Cerulean."

"A runaway?" Delia turned to face Misty. "Why would you purposely run away from home and security to this god-awful forest? That's a suicide mission in itself!"

"My home," Misty said flatly, "is devoid of security. I've lived in a house of death for 10 years, knowingly for 3. There are still bloodstains on the floor where they fell."

Delia stared at her. The girl seemed awfully calm about her home and what had happened. Delia was no expert in psychology, but she guessed that this girl had shut the tragedy out of her mind. She had sounded as if she was reciting lessons for a teacher in the 1700's. It seemed as if this Misty had taken the damage, survived it, and put it behind her, but something inside her told her not to look back, to keep going. And she, apparently, could not do that in her home. Ex-home, anyway.

"Excuse me." Misty walked past Delia.

"Why'd she have your jacket on her arm?" Delia asked.

"It's a bandage. When she left Cerulean she jumped into the river. I think she cut herself on a rock or something."

Hmm. Apparently, she'd gone a little crazy before becoming like a sedate TV newscaster.

Misty sat down on a rock, untied the jacket, and pulled it off her arm. It had stopped bleeding, but dried blood made small streams down her arm. There was a rip in her skin where the cut had been made, but that would soon heal.

Tempest sat about 30 feet in front of her, watching her. Another refugee, eh? She figured that they could handle another human. All they had to do was teach her how to live off the land, and how to ration her food so it didn't run out. That particular bit had been hard to teach Ash, as Tempest remembered, but she had considered it her duty. And she considered it her duty to rear the new Human in the way of the Pikachus. Sage would have been proud.

Tempest smiled, remembering her father. He had died of old age, when Ash and Current had been six-year-olds. And with Rainstorm turned traitor and Stormi dead, Tempest had been the one to take over the herd.

Tempest frowned. She had not heard from her brother in a very long time—10 years to be precise—but the saying 'Out of sight, out of mind' had not held true with her. Oftentimes she wandered why he had not turned them in to Mewtwo's army, why they had not all been destroyed. She supposed that he knew that the herd was extremely strong, well-populated, and crafty, and could outwit a small legion if they had to. On that note, maybe he was waiting for the herd to get a weak spot. Or maybe he just couldn't be bothered with a herd that accepted Humans into it.

Well, whatever his reasons, be it 1, 2, or all 3 of them, Rainstorm had not returned. And right now, Tempest had another issue on her mind…the new girl.

Tempest ventured over to Misty and looked up at her. Misty stared right back. Her encounter with Ash and Current left Misty unafraid of the Pikachu, now that she saw they were peaceful.

"Pi ka chupika Pikachu chupi?" Tempest asked. (Translation: Do you understand Pikachu language?)

Misty gave Tempest a blank look.

"Ka chu pi." (Translation: I guess not.) Tempest didn't look surprised. It had been relatively easy to teach Ash Pikachu tongue, but he had been young, and it was easier to teach the young. Delia, on the other hand, had been hard, because she was an adult and had spoken Human all her life. It was a little easier for her than it would have for another, because Delia remembered a little Pikachu from her schooldays, but still, it had been hard. Teaching Misty would not be quite as hard as Delia or quite as easy as Ash, but Tempest would teach her.

Ash, Delia, and Current came towards them and sat. Delia sat down on another rock Ash sat down cross-legged on the ground. Current stretched out lazily and sighed.

"I know that Cerulean is made up mostly of water Pokemon," Ash said, "but do you have any other types of Pokemon?"

Misty ticked her Pokemon off on her fingers. "Staryu, Starmie, Goldeen, Psyduck…nope. Why?"

"Because it's easier to have Pokemon who can walk on the land, because the river is pretty far from here. We used to live there, but it became a hotspot for battles. We moved here, instead. We only go down there once a day."

"Staryu, Starmie, and Goldeen can live with only a little bit of water," Misty said. "Staryu and Starmie especially. They'll be fine, I think."

"I suppose…wait, that reminds me. You said your Pokemon are collared."

"Yes."

"If you're gonna stay here, you have to get rid of their collars."

"Are you freaking SERIOUS?!"

"I told you, those collars do nothing but hurt your Pokemon. The laws of this herd insist that collars are nowhere near us."

"I can leave, you know."

"Yes, you can, there's nothing preventing you. But think of it…you don't want to go home, and we're the only Humans in this forest as far as civilians go. Imagine alone in that." Ash gestured to the forest all around the clearing. "Imagine being among all those hostile Pokemon. Even if you did head home, you'd be in trouble. They're waiting for us, Misty. They're waiting for us to show ourselves, and then…well."

Misty pulled out her Pokeballs and stared at them.

"We're in danger, Misty, but you'd be in more danger if you went off alone."

Misty closed her fingers around her Pokeballs, then spread out her palm and let the roll off her hand and onto the ground. They opened on impact.

Silently, Misty leaned over and went to her work. She unhooked the collars one by one. When all four of them were in her hand, she set them down, along with 3 of her Pokeballs. Her hands worked the earth until a hole about 2 feet deep was dug. She plopped the collars down, and then dropped the 3 Pokeballs in with them. She kicked the dirt back over the hole, smoothing it with her foot, and called back Goldeen into the last Pokeball. "Goldeen can't transport herself on land, like the others can," she explained. "I have to carry her around."

Ash nodded, then turned to Tempest and said something to her. Tempest spoke back, and then nodded. Ash turned to face Misty again. "Welcome to the herd, Misty. Your Pikachu name is Kapipi."

Well, that's Chapter 5!

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